Russ Light         Principal Engineer     Bob Miyamoto         Associate Director     Paul Aguilar         Senior Field Engineer     Eric Boget         Engineer IV     Chris Craig         Maintenance Mechanic     Adam Huxtable         Field Engineer     Larry Joireman          Research Coordinator     Fred Karig         Principal Mechanical Engineer     Mike Kenney         Oceanographer III     Sean Lastuka         Engineer III     Trina Litchendorf          Oceanographer     Keith Magness         Field Engineer     Tim McGinnis         Senior Engineer     Nick Michel-Hart         Engineer III     Fran Olson         Senior Field Engineer     Pete Pehl         Diver     Peter Sabin         Senior Field Engineer     Dean Stewart         Field Engineer     Sam Sublett         UW Dive Safety Officer     Troy Swanson         Field Engineer     Keith Van Thiel         Engineer III     Tim Wen         Senior Engineer      Arctic Submarine Laboratory	APL-UW fielded six of its research divers to APLIS on 16 March to recover torpedoes during ICEX. Test torpedoes fired from the Annapolis and Helena were tracked acoustically by APL-UW during the exercises. Because they are positively buoyant, the torpedoes rise in the water column at the end of their test runs and become engaged with the underside of the ice canopy. Sequence of events to recover a test torpedo from under the arctic ice: End of run team travels by helicopter to probable resting location of unit then augers a hole to lower acoustic and optical devices under the ice to determine exact unit location Locate unit The sea ice melter and its operation team helicopter to unit location As holes (two required–one for divers and one for the torpedo recovery) are being melted, the diver's shelter is tethered to a helicopter and brought to unit location Dive team is brought to unit location when second hole is started After divers arrive, dive gear is prepped and the torpedo recovery team is requested on location Diving operation commences when holes are clear and recovery gear is staged; melter and its team returns to camp Divers connect weight lines to counter the unit's positive buoyancy; move unit to recovery hole Divers remove weight line; clamps are sent down Divers come out of the water and are sent back to camp by helicopter Torpedo is pulled through ice hole and transported to camp by helicopter Divers' shelter returns to camp All personnel return to camp Click image to play movie: Under-ice divers recover a torpedo after its test fire. (approx. 6 min.) For high-resolution movie  CLICK HERE A recovery can be as short as three or four hours or as long as a full day, mostly dependent on weather and ice conditions. As expected, torpedoes that were engaged under thin, flat ice were recovered quickly, while those that were under thick, rafted ice took longer to both find and recover. The Thermal Melter is a key component in a torpedo recovery. Once onsite and set up, it pumps seawater through a diesel-fired heating coil to deliver 130°F water to a 3-foot diameter perforated ring that acts as an "ice knife." A hole can be melted at a rate of about one foot every twenty minutes. Melting times can vary depending on the type of ice—old ice melts slower and new ice melts faster due to having more entrained air making it less dense. The divers wear dry suits to protect them from the 29°F water, though toes and fingers still get very cold on longer dives. Divers wear approximately 150 pounds of standard and specialized gear to work under the ice sheet. Assistance moving between the divers' shelter and into and out of the dive hole is required. Divers work in pairs under the ice and are each supported by a tender on the surface. They wear an AGA mask that allows them to maintain communication with each other, and with a communications tender on the surface. The sea is remarkably clear beneath the ice, so visualizing the unit is no problem. After swimming to the torpedo, the divers must attach lines with counter weights to lower the buoyant torpedo enough so that its nose is free from the sometimes jagged bottom of the ice. Once weighted, the unit can be moved by the divers to the recovery hole and lines and clamps are lowered. With the recovery apparatus in place, divers come out of the water through their ice hole and are taken back to camp by helicopter. Melting the diving and recovery holes. Diver prepares for entry. Diver swims to unit, maneuvers it to the recovery hole, and attaches clamps. Test torpedo noses through the recovery hole. Test torpedoes and their data records are recovered and refurbished for future use.